I. Name, Vision, and Purpose
Name: The name of the organization representing the interests
and concerns of all SPA and EPA non-faculty staff members
shall be the Staff Forum of Western Carolina University.
Vision: The Staff Forum seeks to improve the quality of
life at Western Carolina University for its students and
all employees. This can be accomplished through mutual understanding,
recognition of staff contributions, support for professional
development and technical training, and respect for the
worth of the individual.
Purpose: The Staff Forum serves in an advisory capacity
to the Chancellor and appropriate decision-making bodies
by providing a regular, open forum to facilitate communication
among all employees and the University administration concerning
general employment interests and concerns and encouraging
the development of constructive suggestions for more efficient
and effective university planning operations. The Forum
is not intended as a vehicle to deal with individual issues,
grievances, or complaints, nor as a means to circumvent
regular administrative channels.
II. Membership
A. Eligibility: The Staff Forum consists of elected representatives
of SPA and EPA non-faculty employees. Membership on the
Staff Forum shall be drawn from permanent part-time and
full-time employees who have completed probationary requirements.
B. Representatives
1. Representation: The Staff Forum will be comprised of
20 elected representatives. Representation shall be based
on proportional representation based on the following federal
job classification codes:
Executive/Administrative (10)
Professional (30)
Technical (40)
Clerical/Secretarial (50)
Craftsmen (60)
Maintenance/Service (70)
2. Duties: The duties of a Staff Forum representative are:
a. To attend all meetings of the Staff Forum.
b. To serve on at least one standing committee of the Staff
Forum.
c. To represent their constituents by facilitating open
lines of communication.
d. To serve as a Staff Forum designee on a university committee,
if appointed.
e. All Staff Forum activities included above shall be considered
to be part of the regular workday of each elected Staff
Forum representative.
f. It is everyone’s desire that duly elected members
of the Staff Forum actively participate in the forum activities
including attendance at regularly scheduled meetings. In
the event that forum members are absent for three (3) consecutive
meetings, the Secretary shall notify the Chair of this absence
and the Chair shall contact the individual member to determine
if problems exist that are prohibiting participation.
3. Term of Office: Each representative shall be elected
to serve a two-year term (July-June). Campus-wide elections
shall be held such that new representatives are elected
and announced prior to May 1. All newly elected representatives
will be strongly encouraged to attend the June meeting of
the Staff Forum for introduction and orientation to the
work of the Staff Forum and to hear the slate of officer
nominees presented for the coming year, to be elected at
the first meeting in July.
To ensure continuity, terms will be staggered so that approximately
one-half of the representatives are elected each year. For
those representatives elected in the initial class (1999)
only, approximately one-half from each federal job classification
will serve an initial term of three and ½ years and
will also be eligible to serve another two-year term, if
elected. Representatives receiving the greatest number of
votes in the general election will serve the longer term.
UNC Staff Assembly delegates will be allowed to remain on the WCU Staff Forum with full voting privileges, even after their term has expired, in order to complete their respective terms with the UNC Staff Assembly.
Following completion of the term on the UNC Staff Assembly, each delegate will rotate off the staff forum and will be required to take a one year leave before being eligible to serve again.
4. Re-election: A representative may be elected for a maximum
of two consecutive terms. If a member serves out an unexpired
term of one year or more, the individual may be elected
to only one additional consecutive term.
C. Ex-Officio Members: The Chancellor or his/her designee
and the Director of Human Resources shall serve as ex-officio
non-voting members of the Forum. They shall function as
a liaison between the university administration and the
Staff Forum.
D. Vacancies: If a vacancy in a Staff Forum seat occurs,
the alternate shall fill the position. An alternate is the
person with the next highest votes in their federal job
classification code at the time of the election. A Staff
Forum
representative who experiences a change in his/her federal
job classification will be allowed to serve the remainder
of the term.
If a temporary vacancy in a Staff Forum seat should occur
through part-time employment (e.g., nine month position),
health reasons (e.g., pregnancy, serious illness) or tragic
event, the position can be filled during the temporary vacancy
by the alternate. A representative’s seat shall be
considered temporarily vacated if the absence is for six
months or less. The seat shall be considered permanently
vacated if the absence is for more than six months, and
the alternate shall fill the seat.
When a vacancy in the Staff Forum occurs and all alternates
within the applicable federal job classification have been
exhausted then the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement
from said classification if possible to serve until the
end of the current fiscal year at which time the vacancy
shall be filled through the normal election process.
E. The staff at-large members of the University Advisory
Council are to be included in the distribution of Staff
Forum meeting notices, agenda, minutes and any other information
that is provided to the forum members. At-large members
are welcomed; as are all staff members to attend any forum
meeting however, mandatory attendance is not expected.
III. Officers
A. Titles and Duties
1. Chair: The duties of the Chair shall be to schedule and
preside at all meetings of the Staff Forum and the Executive
Committee of the Staff Forum; to serve as liaison to the
Chancellor, the Administrative Council, the Faculty Senate,
the Student Government Association, and the Board of Trustees;
to prepare a written annual report of the past year and
make it available to the Staff Forum and to the Chancellor
within one month of his/her end of term.
2. Vice Chair: The duties of the Vice Chair shall be to
preside at all meetings of the Staff Forum in the absence
of the Chair or when requested to by the Chair; to assist
the Chair in performing his/her duties; to develop and carry
out procedures for making all appointments to standing committees.
3. Secretary: The duties of the Secretary shall be to take
minutes and attendance records of each Staff Forum meeting,
including the distribution of minutes to representatives
at least five working days before the next scheduled meeting
of the Staff Forum; to serve as Secretary of the Executive
Committee; to be the custodian of all records.
B. Term of Office: Each officer will serve a one-year term
and assume his/her duties immediately after election in
July.
A representative shall not hold more than one office at
a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more than
two consecutive terms in the same office. However, if a
member assumes an unexpired term for less than six months,
the member may be elected for the next two consecutive terms.
C. Unexpired Term: In the event that the Chair is unable
to complete the elected term of office, the Vice Chair shall
assume the vacant office for the length of the unexpired
term. In the event that the offices of Vice Chair or Secretary
become vacant, a special election shall be held at any regular
meeting of the Staff Forum by the Chair in order to fill
the vacant office for the remainder of the term.
IV. Nominations and Elections
A. Representatives: Nominations and elections of Staff Forum
representatives shall be conducted in accordance with procedures
established and carried out by the Governance Committee (see Attachment 1 - Procedures for Electing Officers)
and approved by the Staff Forum. This process will take
place during February/March and shall include:
1. Seeking open nominations campus-wide.
2. Recruiting possible candidates where necessary.
3. Presenting a slate of nominees to all eligible voters.
4. Conducting the campus-wide election by secret ballot.
5. Conducting run-off elections, if necessary.
6. Reporting election results no later than May 1.
B. Officers: The Staff Forum representatives shall elect Staff Forum officers. All Staff Forum members who will be serving in the upcoming term (newly elected representatives and those in their second year of service) are eligible for election as an officer. Nominations and elections of Staff Forum officers shall be conducted in accordance with procedures established and carried out by the Governance Committee and approved by the Staff Forum. This process will take place during July and shall include:
1. Inviting nominations from Staff Forum members.
2. Developing a slate of nominees, including the approval
of the nominee to appear on the slate.
3. Presenting a slate of nominees at the May meeting (newly
elected representatives will be encouraged to attend).
4. Conducting the election of officers at the July meeting.
5. Nominations from the floor for each office shall be in
order.
C. At-Large Representatives to the University Advisory Council: Nominations will be solicited from the Staff Forum during a regularly scheduled meeting. Nominees will be contacted to determine their willingness to serve. Election ballots will be distributed to Staff Forum members at the next regularly scheduled Staff Forum Meeting. Following the election, the governance Committtee will notify those elected and a campus-wide notification will be distributed.
V. Executive Committee
The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist
of the three elected officers of the Staff Forum and the
chairs of the four standing committees. They shall meet
monthly or as needed to set the agenda of all Staff Forum
meetings and to determine the appropriate discussion and
disbursement of all issues and concerns which come to the
Staff Forum (i.e., referral to a standing committee; establishment
of a special committee or task force to consider an issue;
referral to an administrative unit for clarification; placement
on the agenda of the Staff Forum, etc.)
VI. Standing Committees
A. Governance Committee: The duties of the committee will
be to handle all nominations, elections, and orientation
procedures for representatives and officers; to accept,
study and recommend changes to bylaws and procedures; to
provide staff names to university persons seeking staff
representation on university committees; to address other
issues and activities related to governance.
B. Public Relations Committee: The duties of the committee
will be to plan and coordinate the communication function
such that staff can exchange ideas with representatives
on issues and concerns; to serve as the public relations
agent of the Staff Forum. Methods of communication may include
newsletters, press releases, and web page management. Additional
responsibilities may include employee recognition activities,
service projects, and other public relations issues.
C. Human Resources Committee: The duties of the committee
will be to address all staff concerns and proposals in the
area of salary/benefits, job classification, privatization,
staff development and training, diversity/multiculturalism
issues, and other human resources issues and activities.
D. Resources and Environment Committee: The duties of the
committee will be to address all staff concerns and proposals
related to the work environment, campus environment, work
safety, parking and transportation, building and equipment
repairs, and other associated topics.
E. Scholarship Committee: The duties of this committee will be to solicit and accept applications (recruiting if necessary), certify eligibility and need of applicants, select an applicant by simple majority vote of the committee, recommend the candidate to Staff Forum for approval, and notify all applicants of results. The committee shall consist of a minimum of 5 members appointed by Staff Forum and chaired by a member of Staff Forum. The committee will be open to representation outside of Staff Forum (except for the Chairperson, committee members do not need to be members of Staff Forum to serve).
VII. Meetings
A. All meetings of the Staff Forum shall be open to all employees and students, and the public to observe and make comments as appropriate. Regular meetings of the Staff Forum shall be held at least once monthly. Special meetings may be called as needed with appropriate notice given to members.
B. Quorum and Voting: Fifty percent (50%) of the Staff Forum
or its committees shall constitute a quorum, excluding ex-officio
members. A simple majority (anything more than 50 percent)
of representatives present is required to rule on measures
except amendments to the bylaws, which require a two-thirds
vote. The Chair shall abstain from voting except when necessary
to break a tie.
C. Proxies: At all meetings a member may give, in writing,
their proxy to another member. Such proxy shall be filed
with the secretary before or at the time of the meeting
and announced at the beginning of the meeting.
D. Agenda/Order of Business: The Executive Committee shall
set the agenda and outline the order of business for all
meetings. Items may be added to the agenda at the meeting
if approved by the members present. Order of business may
be altered by general consensus during the meeting. Proposals
for Staff Forum support or approval will follow the process
of being presented first “for information” with
a follow-up at the next Staff Forum meeting “for action.”
E. Parliamentary Authority: The rules contained in the current
edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the
Staff Forum and its committees in all cases to which they
are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with
these bylaws and any special rules of order the Staff Forum
may adopt. The chair will identify a non-member of the Staff
Forum to serve as parliamentarian.
VIII. Amendments to the Bylaws
The bylaws of the Staff Forum may be altered, amended, or
repealed upon a two-thirds majority vote of the representatives
present at any regular meeting, providing the proposed alteration,
amendment, or repeal has been presented in writing, and
accepted, at a regular meeting of the Staff Forum.
BYLAW AMENDMENTS
I. Bylaw Amendment #1
Attendance: Staff Forum members are expected to attend monthly
Forum meetings, Community meetings, and committee meetings.
If a Forum Delegate has an unexcused absence for three regularly
scheduled Forum monthly meetings in a row, he or she will
be replaced automatically. A delegate may be granted an
excused absence by contacting the Forum secretary in advance
of the regularly scheduled meeting to inform he or she of
their expected absence. This contact may be in person, by
phone, by e-mail or in some other written form. The official
minutes shall note beside each person listed as absent whether
the absence is excused or unexcused. Upon approval by the
executive committee, a special variance may be granted for
unexcused absences relating to personal illness, family
emergency or other extenuating circumstances. It shall be
the responsibility of the Forum Delegate to request such
consideration in writing as soon after the absence occurs
as possible. The Executive Committee shall consider these
requests and include their action in the minutes of the
next regularly scheduled meeting.
Passed: January 10, 2001
II. Bylaw Amendment #2
Staff Forum Scholarship Selection Committee: The duties
of this committee will be to solicit and accept applications
(recruiting if necessary), certify eligibility and need
of applicants, select an applicant by simple majority vote
of the committee, recommend the candidate to Staff Forum
for approval, and notify all applicants of results. The
committee shall consist of a minimum of 5 members appointed
by Staff Forum and chaired by a member of Staff Forum. The
committee will be open to representation outside of Staff
Forum (except for the Chairperson, committee members do
not need to be members of Staff Forum to serve).
Passed: April 9, 2003
III. Bylaw Amendment #3
1. Any Committee Chair that cannot attend the Executive Council should have someone else from that Committee attend on their behalf.
2. Each Committe should meet at least once a month.
3. The Vice-Chair will assume the position of Chair in the event that the Chair cannot complete the term of office. A new Vice-Chair shall be elected at this time.
4. The secretary shall assume the role of the Chair in the event that the Chair and Vice-Chair are not present at a Staff Forum meeting.
5. In the event the Secretary is not present or available to take minutes during a Staff Forum Meeting, a Staff Forum member shall be appointed to assume this role.
6. In the event of an unanticipated vacancy, the Staff Forum reserves the right to call a special meeting for the purpose of filling the vacancy. This special meeting shall be conducted in a manner consistent with other Staff Forum meetings and the standard election process will be followed.
Passed: October 12, 2006
